Chocomize will be on Shark Tank!

We are very excited, Chocomize is going to be featured on Shark Tank on November 22, 2013 9-10 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network! Though we can’t discuss any kind of spoilers before Friday, we’d like share a bit about our experience so far.

Financial expert, Joe Dauenhauer will be presenting in front of the Sharks this Friday on behalf on Chocomize, explaining the business idea and pitching to the Sharks hoping for their interest in contributing to the growth of our business. ”We put a lot of effort preparing for the show, and flying out California and being on the Shark Tank set was a mind blowing experience,” commented Dauenhauer.

Preparations for the show have been hectic with hiring new production staff to not only accommodate for the expected holiday rush but the unexpected rush that may come from the show’s viewers. “We found out we would be on the show two weeks ago and we couldn’t wait to share the news with the rest of the team,” stated Chocomize’s Co-Founder and CEO, Fabian Kaempfer, “this is a very exciting time for Chocomize as we’re positioning ourselves for growth and expanding into several different markets such as corporate gifts, wedding favors, event and party favors, and moving into the retail space.”

We are on several other platforms as well, including Facebook Gifts, which allows people to give each other Chocomize gift cards directly on Facebook. We’re also on Opensky and Amazon.

What do you think will happen on Shark Tank? Join the Discussion!

We’ve had a great experience with Shark Tank and can’t wait to see the attention that the show will bring to the Chocomize community. Our Facebook Fans are geared up for Friday and are already discussing their own predictions of what the outcome will be.

About Chocomize — Chocomize is a New York City-based e-commerce company founded in 2009. The Chocomize site allows people to create their own custom chocolate bars online in the ‘Creation Station’ or shop in our ‘Chocolate Shop’. You choose a chocolate base and personalize your bar from a selection of over 100 ingredients – every bar is one of over 300 million possible combinations. All of our products use premium Belgian chocolate, and handcrafted by our team of chocolatiers. Offering both an online customization experience, and bulk order options for corporate gifts, wedding favors, event & party favors, and retailers, the company focuses on creating unique premium chocolate products and experiences. www.chocomize.com

Celebrate with us!

White chocolate was invented by the Nestle company in Switzerland. The first white chocolate bar debuted in 1930. White chocolate has a long history until it officially became considered chocolate at all.

You are probably thinking what? That is because white chocolate does not contain cocoa solids- one of the main ingredients in traditional chocolate. In 2004, the FDA finally welcomed the white chocolate into the chocolate family thanks to some chocolate manufacturers’s petition. The rule states that a product labeled and marketed as white chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa fat, 14 % milk solids and 3.5 % milk fat, and not more than 55% sugar.

Did you know…?

National White Chocolate Day is on September 22.

According to the FDA, to be called ‘chocolate’ a product must contain chocolate liquor, which is what gives it the biter intense chocolate flavor (and color) to dark and milk chocolates.

White chocolate is made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk, and vanilla. Chocolate liquor is not an ingredient in white chocolate.

In 1988, the New York Times declared America was “going sweet on white chocolate”.

Good quality White Chocolate is always ivory in color and never pure white.

Cocoa butter is one of the ingredients used to make real chocolate, it gives chocolate the ability to remain solid at room temperature, yet melt easily in the mouth.

The Urban dictionary meaning of White Chocolate is when a Caucasian embraces and assimilates into black culture.

In 2004, there was a Comedy (Off-Broadway) show called “White Chocolate.”

“Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get.”

We love our customers here at Chocomize. Even though we can’t quite be there to see the look on your face when you get your customized chocolate bar in the mail, we do want to know how you feel when you do. For this reason, we started our hashtag #Chocomize contest two months ago.

By taking a picture of your chocolate bar and posting it on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and using the hashtag “#Chocomize”, you are entered into a monthly raffle for a $50 Gift Card to spend on the Chocomize site . By interacting with us on social media, we’re able to get your reaction to our products and gather great customer feedback so we can better serve your creamy chocolatey needs.

Our #Chocomize hashtag winner for July and winner of a $50 gift card is: Lisa Respers France. Lisa entered our hashtag contest by posting a picture of the chocolate bar she customized at the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival on her Instagram and Twitter. Through a partnership with Buick, guests of the festival were able to create their own Chocomize bar with a Buick Logo in edible ink.

By adding the #Chocomize hashtag to your Chocomize pictures, you can win a $50 Chocomize Gift Card, just like Lisa. So customize your bar, hashtag #Chocomize, and don’t forget to share.

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day!

Milk Chocolate gets its very own day to bask in its own delicious glory. This type of chocolate might be the most popular and best-selling today, but it wasn’t always. Chocolate used to only be dark and bitter. Mayans and Aztecs used cacao to flavor their drinks and the world’s first chocolate bar was of the dark variety and made in 1847. The world was left a void where a sweeter, milkier taste belonged.

How did Milk Chocolate come about?

Daniel Peter

Henri Nestle

This was until Daniel Peter finally found a way to successfully add milk to the product in 1875 with the help of a name that should sound familiar, Henri Nestlé. Oddly enough, Daniel Peter was a candle maker before he became a chocolatier, and plummeting sales after the kerosene lamp was invented spurred Peter to come up with the first known way of adding milk to chocolate without it spoiling. The rest is history!

Milk chocolate is different because it must contain at least 25% cocoa solids to be considered so (ours contains 34%).

The average American eats 11 lbs. of chocolate a year and a whopping 71% of that is milk chocolate.

Not only is chocolate good, but it’s good for you in moderation. Milk chocolate releases feel-good hormones in your body that enhances your mood.

It also contains a moderate amount of caffeine (6mg per 1 oz. bar) which can be used to substitute the coffee addiction most people suffer from.

Celebrate with us!

Celebrate National Milk Chocolate Day on July 28 with Chocomize for all of your delicious, chocolatey needs. Order some of our best-selling bars or create your own masterpiece. Indulge in the 100% Belgian Milk Chocolate that deserves its own day and even buy some extra for days that call for a little extra indulgence. Visit us at http://www.chocomize.com/

Get to know the Chocomize interns of Summer 2013! Continuing with our ‘Meet the Team’ series that started last week in which we featured Leyda Hernandez, our Director of Marketing Communications, this week you’ll get an inside look at what some of our interns are up to, what their favorite bars are, and what their experience interning at Chocomize has been like.

Christos Papastefanou, Marketing Communications Intern

Christos (commonly known as Chris) joined the Chocomize marketing department in June. He’s from Astoria, Queens, New York. He has done a great deal of work with establishing a retail and wholesale model for our customers and has become a wiz with Magento, playing a supportive role in promotional and giveaway campaigns and helping us transition with the launch of our new responsive site.

What did you do before joining Chocomize?

Before working at Chocomize, I worked at several cafes as a barista and interned at a newspaper.

What school do you attend/attended? In what area of study?

I attended Queens College and graduated in Spring 2013 with a major in Media Studies.

Three fun facts

1) I wanted to be a sports broadcaster until I realized it wasn’t a good career move for me.

2) I won an essay contest in High School that awarded tickets to the U.S. Open and meet-and-greet with Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick

3) I want to save enough money someday to co-own a bar with my best friend.

What’s your favorite thing about interning at Chocomize?

My favorite thing about interning at Chocomize is the environment and the interaction with my supervisors about work.

Best experience at Chocomize so far?

My best experience at Chocomize so far was attending the Integrated Marketing Week conference in New York City. I feel that there is so much more to learn from people in the field than in a classroom. Learning about the ways marketing is changing is something that’s key because otherwise, you fall behind.

Favorite bar?

_______

Amy Wang, Marketing Communications Intern

Amy also joined the Chocomize team in June and is from East Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Amy has collaborated on lots of public relations and content marketing projects such as the blog, refer-a-friend initiatives, case studies, and our retail catalog. She’s learned to analyze strategic business partnerships and has presented cases as to what opportunities match our branding and marketing goals and are worth pursuing.

What did you do before joining Chocomize?

Before Chocomize, I was working at a wholesaler and interned at a non-profit where I managed various office activities- such as planning fundraisers.

What school do you attend/attended? In what area of study?

I am a senior at Binghamton University and graduating in Dec 2013. I am pursing a Bachelor degree in Marketing/Leadership & Consulting.

Three fun facts

I don’t drink soda

I love supernatural, mystery, drama T.V shows

I’m planning a to go to Europe soon

What’s your favorite thing about interning at Chocomize?

I get to see first-hand how a startup business is run. The culture here at Chocomize is also amazing. Leyda and Fabian are very passionate about what they do and it’s been rewarding learning from them.

Best experience at Chocomize so far?

Going to networking events and contributing to Chocomize’s future success.